The fundamental idea of the integrated system is that inside a unitary housing, formerly enclosing only the collector, and with just a slight increase in depth, there is fitted also an accumulator having an external shape similar to that of a parallelepiped, and as an improvement the housing is divided by walls to better withstand water pressure and further incorporates all the accessories normally fitted to conventional systems, such as the pump, differential thermostat, purging system, and valves.
The advantages offered by the integrated system are as follows:
(A) The first advantage is its performance, since we are dealing first of all with energy saving. There is no energy dissipation due to transfer between the collector and accumulator, as these units are linked by small pipes of just a few centimeters, that remain submerged in the mass of insulating material. Normal units tend to have a few meters of pipe running outside. There is also a considerable energy saving due to there not being an external cylindrically shaped accumulator, the surface of which dissipates energy. Thus the losses due to this reason are substantially reduced compared to those of the usual collector.
(B) The second main advantage is its cost economy. This is due to the fact that only a single housing is used for both collector and accumulator and part of the insulating material is also mounted on common walls.
(C) Another big advantage, and also the most obvious at first sight, is its pleasant aesthetics. A collector, as well as a photovoltaic panel, may lend a modern, environmental and functional outlook to the roof of a house, but it is not the same situation regarding the bulky accumulator.
(D) The biggest advantage is that assembly is guaranteed at the factory and it only has to be connected to the water distribution network. The end user may place it into operation by just linking it to the water inlet pipe and to the distribution outlet.